Mechanism for closing doors



(No Model.)

W. STEPHAN.

MBGHANISM FOR CLOSING DOORS.

Patented June 18 IN YE N TOR" onms PETERS co, vHoTaLxmu.. wAsHwo-rm n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM STEPHAN, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

MECHANISM FOR CLOSING DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,295, dated J' une 18, 1895.

Application ined April 18,1895. serial 110.5461182- (No model-I To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STEPHAN, a citizen of the United States; residing in the city of Fort Vayne, county of Allen, State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mechanism for Closing Doors, of which the following specification is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism for closing and holding doors in position, and is particularly designed for use in connection with the drop bottoms or doors used in connection with hopper bottomed cars.

The object of my invention is to provide strong and efficient mechanism for closing and holding these drop bottoms in position, but as will be readily seen the invention can be usefully applied in any structure where a door is to be held closed against considerable pressure.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated in connection with a hopper bottomed railroad car, and in which- Figure lis a side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of such a car, showing two doors in the bottom thereof. Fig. 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale, showing the operative portions of my device in a position intermediate to those illustrated in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the device in the position shown in Fig. 2.

A indicates the body of the car; A' and A2, the walls of the hoppers which form the bottom of the car; A3 A3, the doors through which the contents of the car are discharged and which, as shown, are hinged at A4 A4.

B B indicate metal plates bolted to the sides of the car and in which are journaled the transverse shaft C C which, in the construction shown, would extend transversely across the car and have the attachments which I am about to describe on each end. The ends of the shaft C are, as shown, made square, to afford a convenient grip for a crank used in closing and preferably in opening the doors. At each end of each shaft C is rigidly attached a lever arm D and jaw E, which is preferably set atabout ninety degrees with the lever arm,

and a detent by which the shaft can be held in the position it occupies when the door is closed. As shown, and as I preferably use it, this detent consists of a ratchet segment F, and Whether in-this form or another, apawl Gis provided to engage the detent and hold the shaft in position as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. l. To the endof the lever arm D VI pivotally attach links l, to the other end of which is pivotally connected the head of a rod J, the other end of which is attached to the outer end of the door A3 as indicated, and preferably by means of an adjustable head J3 screwing on the end of the rod and by which its effective length can be adjusted so as to insure the tight closing of the door. The other head, that attached tothe links, is provided With a' hook J? which engages with the jaw E when the door is closed as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. l, and so that, whatever pull there is upon the rod J is supported on the said jaw which, in the position of engagement, is held in place by the pawl G acting on the detent on the shaft.

In order to hold the door wide open while the car is being discharged, and to prevent the sagging of the mechanism below the car body, I so construct the rod J and links I that they will rigidly engage each other in the positionthey occupy when approximately in line with each other as shown at the left hand of Fig. l.

This may be done in any convenient way, butl a strong and simple device for the purpose consists in providing a pin I.between the links and extending the head of the rod J beyond the pivotal point as shown at J and so that thefextended head will come in contact with the pin l when the door is open, thus locking the pivotal connection and holding the parts in the position as shown at the left hand side of Fig. l.

Having now described my invention, what' I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y 1. The device for closing doors consisting of a shaft C in combination with a lever arm D secured to it, a detent and a jaw E also secured to said shaft, links I pivotally attached at one end to the arm D, a rod J connected at one end to the door to be closed and at the other to links I, said rod having a hooked end J2 adapted to engage the jaw E when the door is closed, and a pawl G arrang'dto'fengag the detentand retain thshaft and attached parts in position to keepthe door closed.

2. The device for closing doors consisting of a shaft C in combination with a lever arm D secured toit, a ratchet segment ,F and a jaw E also secured to said shaft, links I pivotally attached at one end to the arm D a rod J con.-

nected at one end to the door' to be closed and at the other to links I, said rod havingahooked end J2 adapted to engage the jaw E when the door is closed, and a pawl G arranged to engage the ratchet segment Fand retain the shaft and attached parts in position to keep the door closed.

3. The device toi' el'os'ing doors consisting of apshaftO in cor'nbiijatio'n with a` lever arm I) seed rd to' it, a detent and a jatv E aiso seciiid to saidjshafr,` Imke I pivorauy attached at one endto the ari D, a rodJ connected tn 'iid tothe door to l'jelosed and at the other to links I by means ofah adjustable h J3, said i'odliating a hooked end J2 adapted to engage the j atv E then the door scs'ed', and a paivl G arranged to engage the dtent and retain the s'haftatid attached parts iii position to keep the doorA closfd. Y, l A

t. The device for closing dooifs iisi'stingf a shaft@ in combination v`vith allti' i'in secured to it, a deteht and avj'av'v E also s'ecid to said shaft, links I pivotally attached at one isclosed and being also arranged to engage with th'e links I when the door is fully open and in such a Way that the links and the rod will lie approximately inline with each other, and a pavil G arranged to engage the detent and retain the shaft and attached parts in position to keep the door closed.

5. Thedevicefo'r closing doors consisting of a shaft C in combination with a lever arm D secured to it, a detent and a jaw E also secured to said shaft, link sI pivotally attached at yone lend to the arxn D and having a detent- I', a

r'od J connected aton'e Vend t the door to be closed and at the other end 'to the linjk's I, said rbd Having imokedgend J2 adapted to engage the jaw E when the (160m closed, and an our.

wmxyegtndmg end a adapted to engage the datent i aneth@ links when the ma and links li approximately in line with eachother, and a pa'wl 'G arranged to engage the detnt and retain the shaft and attached parts in psin'n t keep the door @lose-d.

n I I l WM. STEPHAN. Witnesses: MARTIN KOESTER,

HENRY NVMYER. 

